Parliamentary questions

Jackie Baillie

9,397 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce alcohol-related road deaths.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive provides funding to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign for the development of key road safety education initiatives and publicity messages. The campaign's strategy for drink drive publicity is informed by research, published by the Executive in 2…

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many modern apprenticeships have been taken up by residents of the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) Argyll and Bute local authority area in each year since 1999.

Answer · Iain Gray: Eighty-eight residents of West Dunbartonshire took up a modern apprenticeship in 1999-2000; 141 in 2000-01; 262 in 2001-02 and 255 in 2002-03 (to end January 2003). The numbers for Argyll and Bute local authority area are not collected centrally.

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the additional #0.5 billion announced to be spent on police forces, fire brigades and the prison services will be spent in the (a) Argyll and Bute and (b) West Dunbartonshire local authority area on the (i) police, (ii) fire service and (iii) prison service.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The amount of additional funding, provided from the spending review in 2002 over the three years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06, was as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=134><TR><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIG…

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives it has undertaken, or plans to undertake, to tackle drug misuse in the (a) Dumbarton parliamentary constituency, (b) Argyll and Bute local authority area and (c) West Dunbartonshire local authority area and how much money has been allocated to each area for this purpose.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive's drugs strategy, Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership, is backed by around £130 million in new resources for 2001-02 to 2003-04. All areas of Scotland have benefited from these additional resources in terms o…

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any assets sei'ed from illegal drug dealing have been redistributed to the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) Argyll and Bute local authority area.

Answer · Hugh Henry: None of the recovered criminal assets we have redistributed so far have been provided specifically to West Dunbartonshire or Argyll and Bute. However, £180,000 from recovered criminal assets has been earmarked to support families across Scotland affected b…

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the monetary value is of drugs sei'ed by the L Division of Strathclyde Police and the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency since the inception of the policy to reinvest assets recovered from illegal drug dealing.

Answer · Hugh Henry: During 2001-02, the estimated street value of controlled drugs seized in all operations involving the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (including those involving Scottish police forces) was £19.9 million. Equivalent figures for individual divisions of police …

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on crime prevention by (a) central government, (b) Argyll and Bute Council and (c) West Dunbartonshire Council in each year since 1997.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Spend by a local authority on crime prevention is a matter for that local authority. The information is not held centrally.Under the Make our Communities Safer Challenge Competition, which ended in March 2002, the awards detailed in the following tables we…

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to reduce crime rates in disadvantaged areas in the (a) Argyll and Bute and (b) West Dunbartonshire local authority area since 1996.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive has actively encouraged the establishment of community safety partnerships led by the local authority and the police and involving the public, private and voluntary bodies to tackle community safety issues at a local level. Community Sa…

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many community safety partnerships there are currently in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency and when each partnership was established.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Each local authority area has a community safety partnership. Therefore there are two partnerships in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency area, one led by Argyll and Bute Council and the other led by West Dunbartonshire Council.The community safety pa…

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the #250 million for free personal care and nursing care was allocated to (a) Argyll and Bute Council and (b) West Dunbartonshire Council.

Answer · Frank McAveety: Argyll and Bute Council was allocated £2.655 million for 1 July 2002 to 31 March 2003 and £3.547 million for 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004.West Dunbartonshire Council was allocated £1.591 million for 1 July 2002 to 31 March 2003 and £2.101 million for 1 Ap…

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to increase the proportion of older people in the (a) Argyll and Bute and (b) West Dunbartonshire local authority area that are able to live independently by increasing home care opportunities since 1997.

Answer · Frank McAveety: Councils' expenditure on home care services is funded through the general local government settlement. Between 1997-98 and 2001-02, Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire Councils' net expenditure on home care services increased by 26% to £3.7million and by …

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of older people in the (a) Argyll and Bute and (b) West Dunbartonshire local authority area received intensive home care in each year since 1996.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The statistics requested are available from 1998 onwards, and are contained in the table:Table1: Percentage of People Aged 65 and Over Receiving Intensive Home Care<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=425><TR><TD WIDTH="33%" VALIGN="BOTTOM" ROWS…

6 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what reduction there has been in mortality rates from coronary heart disease in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) Argyll and Bute local authority area in each year since 1996.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The information requested is given in the following table.Mortality Rates from Coronary Heart Disease1 Per 100,000 Population2, 1996-2001<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=381><TR><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP">Year</TD>…

14 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its news release SEfm075/2002 on 28 October 2002, how its relocation policy review will be implemented.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The implementation of the new strand to the relocation policy will be taken forward in consultation with key public sector stakeholders.The Executive has written to bodies covered by the relocation policy requesting that they identify small units of work t…

9 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will prioritise public service job relocations to areas of economic and social disadvantage, given any impact that such relocations would have on the area.

Answer · Andy Kerr: A range of factors are considered in evaluating relocation reviews. These include costs, operational effectiveness, the position of staff and social, economic and environmental considerations.We will be providing further guidance on social and economic fac…

9 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision will be made on the relocation of the Scottish Arts Council.

Answer · Elaine Murray: I expect that the Scottish Arts Council's report on future location will be with ministers by the end of this financial year. A decision will be made as soon as possible thereafter.

9 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision will be made on the relocation of sportscotland.

Answer · Mike Watson: We are currently considering the report from the consultants commissioned by sportscotland to review their property portfolio as a whole. That will help inform our decision on the future location of sportscotland's headquarters which we expect t…

9 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has communicated with local authorities and local enterprise companies to identify suitable sites for any future public service job relocations.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive wrote to all Scottish local authorities and Local Enterprise Companies on 16 December 2002 drawing attention to the new list of bodies, announced on 11 December 2002, about to conduct location reviews.

9 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for current and planned relocation reviews as part of the public service job relocation policy.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32492 on 11 December 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.u…

8 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has representation on the National Liaison Group for Credit Unions facilitated by the Unity Trust Bank and the Co-operative Bank and, if not, whether it will seek such representation.

Answer · Des McNulty: The National Liaison Group for Credit Unions is an independent body set up by the credit union movement to discuss issues of common interest and to harmonise lobbying strategies on government policy that may impact credit unions. The Scottish Executive does n…

6 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered any successor arrangements in respect of the Scottish Credit Union Partnership.

Answer · Des McNulty: We have no plans for any successor arrangements for the Scottish Credit Union Partnership.

6 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage provision of low cost insurance products for those on low incomes.

Answer · Des McNulty: The Executive has been working closely with the insurance industry and the Association of British Insurers (ABI) in recent months on the issue of flood cover. The Executive welcomes the statement from the ABI that its members will continue to provide flood in…

6 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the number of basic bank accounts opened since accounts were introduced and what steps it can take in conjunction with banks to encourage a greater uptake and range of services for people on low incomes.

Answer · Des McNulty: Treasury figures suggest that there were over 5.4 million basic bank accounts at the end of June 2002. This is an increase over the figure of 3.3 million at the end of 2000. However, an estimated 3.5 million adults in the UK still do not have a bank account. …

6 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to tackle financial exclusion.

Answer · Des McNulty: Specific action by the Executive includes providing an additional £3 million to increase the number of money advisers in Scotland and £500,000 for increased central support for money advice including training, information and quality assurance. The Executive …

6 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the establishment of a central services organisation for credit unions and what action it can take to help realise such a project.

Answer · Des McNulty: The Executive is working with the Scottish Credit Union Partnership on a number of centrally provided support functions for credit unions, including healthchecks and business planning, work on volunteer training and the use of IT. The Executive would be willi…

6 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has held any discussions with Her Majesty's Government with regard to amendments to the proposed European directive on consumer credit.

Answer · Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including consumer protection.

6 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from credit unions on the proposed European directive on consumer credit.

Answer · Des McNulty: The Scottish Executive has received no representations from credit unions on the proposed European directive on consumer credit.

6 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that there is an adequate supply of trained alcohol counsellors to support the implementation of the Plan for Action on alcohol problems.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The Executive provides core funding for Alcohol Focus Scotland to support Local Councils on Alcohol provide individual counselling and support for people with alcohol problems. Section 9 funding is also provided as a contribution to training costs.

6 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to announce funding to improve service provision consistent with the Plan for Action on alcohol problems.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Consideration is being given to funding a range of initiatives as part of the spending review, the outcome of which will be announced later this year.

6 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will develop guidelines for alcohol education as part of the school curriculum to support the implementation of the Plan for Action on alcohol problems.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Alcohol education forms part of health education in schools, specifically within drug education. Guidelines already exist in the form of 5-14 Health Education Guidelines which were published in October 2000, together with a Guide for Teachers and Managers. Th…